Virgin Media brings Wi-Fi to 10 more Tube stations

Virgin Media has brought Wi-Fi access to 10 more Tube stations -- that means a total of 131 Tube stops now have wireless access courtesy of the company.

West Hampstead, Finchley Central, Leytonstone, Wanstead, White City, Leyton, Newbury Park, Plaistow, Finchley Road and Upton Park are the latest stations to get Wi-Fi. Another 10 stops will get wireless access from the spring, Virgin Media has also announced.

It's not just Virgin Media customers who can use the service for free. Anyone on EE, Vodafone, or O2 can also use free wireless at any participating Tube station. If you're on another network, you'll have to pay £2 a day, £5 a week, or £15 for two months.

The service first went live in time for the London Olympics back in the summer of 2012. According to Virgin Media, more than 80,000 people used the service on New Year's Eve, with it delivering 600,000 tweets, Facebook posts, emails, and web pages in those 24 hours.

By the end of the year, Virgin Media claims it will cover around 160 of the Underground's 270 stations. All but four of the Tube's subterranean stations should have Wi-Fi courtesy of Virgin Media.

But beardy Branson's lot aren't the only ones offering Wi-Fi on the Tube. Arch rival Sky offers wireless connectivity across 56 Tube stations through its service called The Cloud.

Virgin Media found itself in a spot of bother this week. Its unauthorised roadworks brought rush-hour London traffic to a standstill, leading to the company being branded a "disgrace" by London transport chiefs. In response, a Virgin Media spokesperson told the London Evening Standard: "We are addressing our contractor's failure to comply with the works authorised. We're working with TfL to resolve the issue and apologise to motorists."

Have you used free Wi-Fi on the Tube? Who do you think is the best hotspot provider? Let me know in the comments, or over on our Facebook page.